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TRAVEL TIPS

Bargaining | Driving in Thailand | The Rules of Travel | The Art of Traveling | Health Care

Bargaining
One should generally expect to bargain in curiosity shops, open air/flea markets, and smaller specialty shops. There are places where the overeager tourists only make fools or nuisances of themselves in their desire to haggle with everyone (i.e., supermarkets, large stores which indicate fixed prices, and some areas of a market (the meat section where prices are standardized)). As a visitor to a foreign land, you should be aware of this. You should realize that every Baht reduction for which you bargain so cleverly is of more importance to the seller than it could be to you. Many first time travelers to Thailand may be unprepared for the cultural shock they will experience. The result: They are often perplexed by the unfamiliar atmosphere they find.

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The Rules of Travel
  1. Thou shall not expect to find things as thou hast them at home, for thou hast left home to find things different.
  2. Thou shall not take anything too seriously, for a carefree mind is the beginning of a fine vacation!
  3. Thou shall not let the other tourists get on thy nerves, for thou art paying good money to enjoy thyself.
  4. Thou shall remember to take only one-half the clothes you think you need, and twice the amount of money!
  5. Thou shall remember thy passport so thou knowest where it is at all times, for a man without a passport is a man without a country!
  6. Thou shall remember that if we were expected to stay in one place, we would have been created with roots!
  7. Thou shall not worry. He that worries has no pleasure, few things are ever fatal!
  8. Thou shall not make thyself too obviously foreign. When in Rome, do somewhat as the Romans do!
  9. Thou shall not judge the people of a country by the one person with whom thou hast had trouble!
10. Thou shall remember thou art a guest in every land, and he that treats his host with respect is treated as an honored guest!

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The Art of Traveling
When you pack your bags to explore the beauties of Thailand, or to travel around the world, consider these keys to a happy journey:

• Travel lightly. You are not traveling for people to see you.
• Travel expectantly. Every place you visit is like a surprise package to be opened. Untie the strings with an expectation of high adventure.
• Travel hopefully. "To travel hopefully," wrote Robert Louis Stevenson, "is better than to arrive."
• Travel humbly. Visit people and places with reverence and respect for their traditions and ways of life.
• Travel courteously. Consideration for fellow travelers and hosts will smooth the way through the most difficult days.
• Travel gratefully. Show appreciation for the many things that are being done by others for your enjoyment and comfort.
• Travel with an open mind. Leave your prejudices at home.
• Travel with curiosity. It is not how far you go, but how deeply you go that mines the gold of experience. Thoreau wrote a big book about tiny Walden Pond.
• Travel with imagination. As the old Spanish proverb puts it, "He who would bring home the wealth of the Indies, must carry the wealth of the Indies with him."
• Travel fearlessly. Banish worry and timidity; the world and its people belong to you just as you belong to the world.
• Travel relaxed. Make up your mind to have a good time. Let go and enjoy it.
• Travel patiently. It takes time to understand others, especially when there are barriers of language and custom; keep flexible and adaptable to all situations.

Travel with the spirit of a world citizen. You'll discover that people are basically much the same the world around. Be an ambassador of goodwill to all people.

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Health Care

Take Note: The most common problem to foreign travelers is "over medicating." In most cases, your body's normal defenses, common sense and plenty of rest will provide faster relief.

Many foreigners experience some stomach upset and diarrhea when traveling - particularly when visiting tropical, less developed, or rural areas. The reason for this is not completely understood, but it is thought to be secondary to a change in the type and quantity of the bacteria that normally inhabit our gastrointestinal system. The change in climate, types of food, stresses of traveling, as well as being in a strange environment, are probably all contributing factors.

How You Can Minimize Getting Significant Diarrhea

1. Drink purified water (bottled, boiled, or treated with "Halazone") if in an area where tap water is questionable.
2. Make sure you ask for drinks without ice (may not be made from purified water).
3. Use iodine tables or "Iodo" for soaking vegetables and fruits that cannot be peeled, for at least fifteen minutes. (Liquid "Iodo" is better than tablets - no dissolving time.) Purified water does not alone kill microorganisms on fruits, vegetables, etc. (Don't drink water with high "Iodo" content!)
4. Avoid, at all cost, ready-made custards and foods made with mayonnaise (e.g. potato and chicken salads, cream cheese, etc.) as they are the most common transmitters of food poisoning (salmonella, staphylococcus). Avoid eating from stands where meats and dairy products are kept in the open in the heat of the sun for long periods of time.

When You Have Diarrhea
Stop eating! Give your body a rest! You can live for a couple of months without solid food, but you can only live 24-36 hours without water (or fluids of some sort). When you have diarrhea, your body is losing lots of water and certain salts--the chief one being potassium. Try the following feeding suggestions for at least 3 days:

First day: Clear fluids alone. Examples: water, clear soup, weak lemon or plain tea, flat ginger ale, Coca Cola or Pepsi. Pop is especially good because of its salt content (sodium, chloride, and potassium). Allow the gas to escape before drinking, it's easier for the body to handle. NO MILK!

Second day: You may add dry toast, mashed potatoes (without milk or butter), baby foods (e.g. mashed bananas, etc.).

Third day: You may add boiled meats, cooked vegetables, and cooked fruit. Milk, other dairy products, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, and fried foods should be the last foods to be added.

When You Should See a Qualified Doctor/Paramedic? When you have:

1. Severe abdominal pain (especially if localized in one area).
2. Repeated vomiting, along with diarrhea.
3. Severe diarrhea that is blood stained, or passing of blood and mucus.
4. Accompaniment of fever for more than 24 hours.
5. Diarrhea that doesn't subside after 4-5 days of the above-mentioned conservative treatment.

Don't run to your local pharmacy for all sorts of constipating agents and antibiotics that may mask your real problem and expose you to further and possible more serious illness!

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Health Care Hints for Home & Away

• Avoid "Entero-Vioform" and "chloramphenicol." Entero-vioform is a constipating agent that has been removed from the North American market several years ago because it has been proven to have potentially dangerous neurological side effects.

• If you need injections, request that a disposable syringe be used.

• Avoid blood transfusions unless critically necessary. Plasma or glucose are less likely to be contaminated.

• Wear shoes or sandals at all times! Many protozoa, fungi, and worms enter the body through the skin. These parasitic organisms are common in most areas of the world. Don't go barefoot!

Colds and sore throats are common. When should you be concerned?

1. When you have accompanying fever lasting more than 24 hours.
2. When you have swollen glands around your jaws, ears, and/or neck.
3. When you have severe sore throat lasting more than a few days.
4. When you have accompanying earache, loss or diminution of hearing, or discharge from ear(s).
5. When you have accompanying painful and very tender sinus(es), and/or redness over sinus(es).
6. When you have accompanying moderate to severe muscular and joint pains.
7. When you have an accompanying red rash that is worse in body creases (e.g., at the elbow or back of the knees).
8. When you have accompanying cough with increased and abnormal colored sputum.

If you have any of the above reasons for being concerned, you should see a qualified doctor or paramedic as you will require a physical examination, some lab tests (throat culture and possibly a blood test), and antibiotics. Different antibiotics are required depending on location and clinical picture of the infection as well as on any individual drug allergies.

Sun Heat: If you're in the mountains (or close to the equator) you may be closer to the sun than in many parts of the world. Your body will feel the effects of the sun more and with in a shorter time.

What to do:

1. Cover your head.
2. Wear sunglasses if your eyes are in direct sunlight or are exposed to reflections of the sun on sand and water for a long time.
3. Get used to direct sunlight gradually. If you are keen on tanning, but have sensitive and fair skin, use a total sunscreen initially. Any agent with 5% para-aminobenzoic acid in 50% ethyl alcohol is a good sunscreen agent (e.g., "PRE SUN "). Another good one is any agent with 10% sulisobenzone (e.g., "UVAL"). Lie in the sun for 10-15 minutes per day, initially, and increase by 10-15 minutes every couple of days. Too much sun is not good for your skin! As well as drying the skin, chronic overexposure greatly increases your risk of developing skin cancer.

Problems You May Encounter and What To About Them
(Hot, sunny climates)

Sunburn (suggestions for relief):

1. Cool water and cool soaks applied to the affected areas
2. Baking soda (soda bicarbonate): 8 tsp. to a liter of water; apply paste to affected areas; may be repeated as needed
3. "Solarcaine" lotion (0.5% benzocaine), a mild topical (skin) anesthetic. Note skin sensitivity to benzocaine may occur.

Ultraviolet burns to the cornea of the eye may be caused by overexposure to direct sunlight. About 12 hours after the injurious exposure, there are symptoms of extreme pain in the eye, especially in well-lit areas. See a doctor immediately! Until then, take some pain reliever by mouth (e.g. aspirin, Tylenol, etc.) and rest in a darkened room with eyes closed.

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1. Get plenty of rest (more than you get at home as you'll probably be more active).
2. Drink liquids. If you can take the bottle top off or peel it, you can drink or eat it most anywhere in the world. Dehydration is no fun.
3. Avoid excesses of alcohol and food, at least until your body starts to adjust to its new environment.

Plan ahead and build flexibility into your travel itinerary. Reducing emotional stress as well as physical stress will enable you to adjust more quickly to your new surroundings - and maximize the probabilities for a healthy, enjoyable trip

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